Musical device.



B. SMITH.

MUSICAL DEVICE.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 29, 1912.

1,052,525, Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

WITNESSES INVENTOR COLUMBIA VILANDGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BLAKE SMITH, 0F DUBOIS, PENNSYLVANIA.

MUSICAL DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BLAKE SMITH, a citi-;

Zen of the United States, residing at Dubois,

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a musical device} adapted for insertion in themouth and to be operated by blowing through the device.;

The invention has for its primary object, to provide a musical devicefor insertion int the mouth to rest on the lower lip, and; having a reedor vibratory sound-producing member adapted to be set in motion by the:'passage of wind from the mouth, and, further having a note-changingmember yield-f ingly bearing against the upper lip andadapted to bereleased or depressed for movement away from or toward the reed; torestrict the reed in its vibratory move-;

ment. Further, the note-changing member is so associated with the bodyof the device that the wind-passage through the device is enlarged andcontracted by releasing or:

depressing the note-changing member.

Another object of this invention is to provide a musical device forinsertion in the mouth to be sounded by the wind passing from the mouth,and which is regulated to produce high and low tones by the naturalmovement of the mouth in producing such tones.

As devices of this character are of the nature of a toy, it is essentialthat their structures embody the features of simplicity, durability, andeconomy. To this end applicant has provided a relatively small andsimply constructed device, the main;

portions of which may be stamped from thin sheet metal and bent to thedesired form, 1 while the remaining parts of the device, such as thereed and the tone-changing member, are of simple form and may be easilyand economically produced from stock material. Applicants completedevice prevention will appear from the specific dis closure of thestructure in the following specification, and in the attached drawingforming part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of thedevice,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 29, 1912.

Patented Feb. 11,1913.

Serial No. 680,715.

as applied to the mouth; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectionthrough the device, showing the tone-changing member in normal position;Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the tone-changing member depressed toproduce a high tone; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the device; Fig. 5 isa front elevation of the same; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on theline 66 of Fig. 2.

As will be seen from the drawing, the musical device comprises four mainparts, viz., a base or body portion, a vibratory sound-producing member,a tone-changing element, and a support or holder for the tonechangingelement.

The base portion comprises a preferably metal plate 10 curved down andpreferably having rounded corners, at its forward end to provide a lip11. Flanges 12 project from the lateral edges of the plate 10 rearwardlyof the lip 11 and are turned up to provide the side walls of the device.These flanges 12 have their forward edges rounded to provide a neatstructure and have their rear portions stepped down to provide a pair ofregistering rearwardly facing shoulders 18.

The plate 10 extends beyond the rear ends of the flanges 12, is turneddown at a slight angle, and is overturned upon itself to provide aninclined clip 14 receiving and holding the inner end of a reed 15. Thereed 15 extends upwardly and forwardly in the plane of the clip 14, to aline approximately registering with the shoulders 13, whence the reed 15is bent into a substantially horizontal plane and terminates inline withthe forward rounded edges of the flanges 12.

The holder comprises a preferably metal strip 16 extending across thestepped-down portions of the flanges 12 and engaging against theshoulders 13. The ends of the strip 16 pass down against the outer facesof flanges 12 and have their extremities turned slightly inward beneaththe base plate 10 to provide retaining flanges 17, as best seen fromFigs. 2 and 6, for the holder. The strip 16 has an extension located atits rear edge turned over upon the strip 16 (see Fig. 2) to provide aspring aw 18, engaging the inner end of a tone-changing member orelement to hold the same in fixed position upon the strip 16. The outeredge of the spring jaw 18 is curved upward slightly for engagement withthe thumb in placing and removing the tone-changing member.

The tone-changing member comprises a flexible flat strip 19 extendingforwardly from the strip 16 and across the entire space between theflanges 12 as disclosed in Figs. 1, 5 and (3. The Hat strip 19terminates slightly beyond the rounded forward ends of the flanges 12,the latter being so rounded to expose the end of the fiat strip 19,(Figs. 1, 2 and and permit the same to be de pressed against the end ofthe reed 15. In the present instance the tone-changing strip 19 isformed from a piece of rubber, but any other suitable flexible materialmay be substituted therefor.

In using this musical device the same is placed in the mouth as in Fig.1, the base plate 10 lying on the lower lip and the downwardly curvedlip 11 of the plate engaging over and against the outer side of thelower lip to prevent the device from being sucked into the mouth. Themouth is now closed upon the device, bringing the.

upper lip down against the tone-changing strip 19. The operator nowblows through the device, the wind passing over the base plate 10between the walls or flanges 12 and beneath the flexible strip 19. Thewind is thus directed against the reed and vibrates the same to producea musical tone. lVhen a low tone is desired, the tone-changing strip 19is permitted to assume its normal position, see Figs. 1 and 2, wherebythe reed is vibrated relatively slowly by a slight wind pressure andproduces such low tone.- The natural movement of the mouth to produce alow tone opens or moves apart the lips of the mouth. Thus the naturalmovement of the mouth adjusts the device to produce the low tone. Whenit is desired to produce a higher tone, the lips are naturallycompressed, such movement bringing the upper lip against thetone-changing member 19 and depressing the same against the reed 15limiting the range of the vibrating end of the reed 15 and producing ahigher tone. As the tone-changing strip 19 extends entirely across thespace between the walls 12 the strip 19 regulates the size of the throatof the device so as to concentrate the wind passing through the deviceagainst the vibrating end of the reed 15.

The holder which carries the tone-changing member 19 slides backwardlyfrom the body portion and releases the retaining flanges 17 from theplate 10 to permit the detachment of the holder, and the flexible strip19 carried thereby, from the body portion for the purpose of cleansingthe interior of the device, and admitting the easy assem blage of theseveral parts. By raising the lip 18 the tone-changing member or strip19 may be removed and replaced when worn or broken.

It is evident that various changes may be made in the minor details ofthis embodiment of the invention without departing from the spiritthereof as set forth in the appended claims.

hat is claimed is 1. In a musical device, a reed for insertion in themouth, and supporting means for the reed, said supporting means coveringthe upper and lower sides of the reed and being adapted for contact withthe upper and lower lips whereby the reed is protected from contact withthe lips, said supporting means also being adapted to be contractedagainst the reed by the movements of the lips to produce high and lowtones.

2. In a musical device, a base portion, a reed carried by the baseportion, and a tonechanging member carried on the base portion over thereed to house the same and bearing adjustably against said reed toregulate the vibrating movement of the same.

3. In a musical device, a base portion for insertion in the mouth, areed carried on the base portion, and a tone-changing member mounted onthe base portion and engaging the upper lip of the mouth and adapted tobe depressed thereby against said reed to regulate the vibratorymovement thereof.

1. A musical device comprising a body portion for insertion in the mouthand having a downwardly curved lip for engage- 1 ment with the lip ofthe mouth, a reed mounted on the body portion and adapted for vibrationby the wind passing from the mouth, and a tone-changing member carriedon the body portion above the reed and engaging the upper lip of themouth, said member being adapted to be depressed and released toward andfrom the reed by the lips in their natural movements to produce varioustones.

A musical device comprising a body portion for insertion in the mouthand engaging the lower lip, a flexible strip located over the bodyportion, and engaging the upper lip, and a reed disposed between thebody portion and the strip, said strip being adapted to be flexedagainst the end when the lips are compressed in their natural movementto produce a high tone.

6. In a musical device, a pair of connected elements one movable towardand from the other, a reed supported between the elements, saidconnected elements being adapted for insertion in the mouth and formovement against the end of the reed to eil'ect various tones, saidelements being adapted to be moved by the natural movement of the lipsin producing the various tones.

7. A musical device comprising a base plate having a downwardly curvedlip at its forward end and lateral upstanding flanges provided withrearwardly facing shoulders in their upper edges, the plate also havingan inclined clip at its rear end, a. reed engaging in the clip andextending forwardly and upwardly over the base plate, a holder slidablyengaging over the flanges and against said shoulders, and a flexiblestrip carried on the holder above the reed and adapted to be depressedagainst the reed to regulate the vibrating of the same.

8. In a musical device, a base portion having a depending lip at itsforward end engaging the lip of the operator and having upstandingspaced flanges, a holder sup ported across the upper edges of theflanges, a flexible strip carried on the holder and extending forwardlyfrom between the flanges, and a reed mounted on the base portion andextending upwardly beneath the flexible strip, said strip. being adaptedto be depressed against the reed to vary the vibration of the same andproduce various tones.

9. In a musical device, a base portion having an inclined clip, a reedengaging at one end in said clip and extending diagonally upward overthe base portion, a detachable holder mounted on the base portion overthe reed, and a tone-changing strip carried on the holder over the reedand adapted to bear against the reed to regulate the vibrating of thesame.

10. In a musical device, a base portion having upstanding spacedflanges, a holder carried across the upper edges of the flanges, a reedmounted on the base portion and extending longitudinally between theflanges,

and a flexible tone-changing strip located on the holder between theflanges and above the reed and adapted to be depressed against the reedto limit the vibrating of the same and contract the passage between theflanges.

11. In a musical device, a base portion having spaced flanges providinga wind channel, a reed mounted on the base portion and extending intothe wind channel, and a tone-changing strip supported above the reed andextending across the entire space between the flanges, said strip beingadapted to be depressed against the reed to regulate the vibrating ofthe same and to contract and enlarge the wind channel.

12. A musical device comprising a base portion, a tone-changing membermounted over the base, the base and the member providing a wind passagethrough the device, and a vibrating element carried by the base in thewind passage, said member being adapted for movement toward and from thebase to contract and enlarge the wind passage whereby the vibrating ofthe reed is Varied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

BLAKE SMITH. \Vitnesses EDWARD SMITH, MINNIE EDWARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

